Themes in “Good Leadership”: An Analysis of Personal Stories of Inspiration from the Daqing Oil Field

Abstract

This study explores the practice of Chinese leadership within a large Chinese State-Owned Enterprise (SOE). Seventy middle managers were asked to submit a handwritten Chineselanguage "leadership story", identifying a leader who they had experienced modeling "good leadership", the specific behavior(s) that this leader exhibited, and the situational context in which the behavior(s) had occurred. Participants were also asked to outline the cultural influences that, in their view, had influenced that behavior(s). Results show nine clusters of exemplary leadership behaviors: Caring, Respectful / Fair, Guiding / Mentoring, Professional and Technically Knowledgeable, Objectivity / Pragmatism, Leading by Example, Accountability, Visionary / Innovation, and Discipline. The study defines and summarizes these clusters and provides specific examples of leadership behavior consistent with each cluster.